Relationship Status: It’s Complicated
1985: Should I let my kids play video games? Today – Good luck stopping them!
1995: Should I let my child use the Internet? Today – Of course they should, it’s a great educational tool!
Today the question is – Should I let my child have a Facebook account?
Well, that depends…
There are as many answers to that question as there are children asking for these accounts. Variables like maturity, trust, and responsibility are all things that parents should be considering. Every situation is different and that’s where it’s important to know what your child is capable of.
How young is too young for Facebook? That’s easy, their privacy policy clearly states “No information from children under age 13.If you are under age 13, please do not attempt to register for Facebook or provide any personal information about yourself to us.”
We all know the potential risks to young social networkers: Cyberbullying, rumours and gossip, inappropriate pictures, sexual predators, etc. But what are the positives aspects?
Pros:
- More than half of students with access to the Internet report using social networking sites to discuss educational topics and school assignments. Some teachers claim that using these sites helps students improve their reading, writing, and problem solving skills while learning to express themselves more clearly.
- Social media helps low-income kids become more familiar with computers and related technology. One study showed that nearly three quarters of these children have profiles on MySpace or Facebook. By using these sites they have learned how to edit and upload photos and videos, and modify their personal profiles using other applications.
- Social networking allows for creative expression in the 21st century. Through messaging, blogging, photo storage & games, kids can explore this new medium- for free!
More good news: To make social networking sites safer for children, most have minimum age requirements and default settings based on the user’s age to protect children. Facebook has been deleting the accounts of its underage users (up to 20,000 each day), one of the many ways of policing its 630-million users.
For those parents who are still wary of the biggest social networks, there are a few geared specifically for smaller children. These sites are very effective in screening users, privacy, and appropriateness of content.
Safe alternatives for children:
- Togetherville (10 and under)
- What’s What (8-14yrs)
- ScuttlePad (6-11yrs)
- giantHello
- Skid-e Kids (link removed)